Wireless communications systems generally use multiple frequencies to provide greater bandwidth than would be possible using a single frequency. Such systems, particularly large-scale systems such as those used for telecommunications, are typically divided into cells that provide wireless coverage to a particular area, although some overlap may exist between cells. In some systems, cells may be further divided into sectors. The use of multiple frequencies may cause interference between cells or between sectors.
To avoid such inter-cell or inter-sector interference, some wireless communication technologies may use spectrum planning to avoid interference between cells. Such advance spectrum planning may be used in technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA) systems (e.g., Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) systems). Some systems, such as those using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, may avoid inter-cell interference by requiring that neighboring cells use different frequencies. This may be accomplished, for example, by planning the frequency assignment in advance or by using a central controller to dynamically assign a frequency to each cell. However, assigning frequencies in advance may not be desirable in some situations, and relying on a central controller to assign frequencies may introduce issues such as scalability and point-of-failure. What is needed are a system and method for dynamically assigning frequencies in a wireless communications system.